MommyOf1plus2plus1

Random thoughts

2009-04-30T08:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, I do enjoy blogging and I need to make myself get back in the habit. So, that said, I am taking off the pressure and no longer requiring myself to play catch up. I really didn't want my twins to turn five and my baby to turn two, so if I don't blog about it, then it didn't happen, right?

I realized yesterday that my mom is a ventriloquist! I was in my living room, bending over to pick something up when she did it! From across the street, she threw her voice into my living room as she said one of her famous "Mom" lines: "Am I the ONLY one around here that can pick things up??" It was pretty amazing!

Totally random, so much so that I don't even know why I noticed it: Yesterday I was waiting for Tom to get home, standing on the back porch, grilling the burgers, and I looked off in the distance toward 10th St and saw the three cars that were on the street at that moment....a red pick up, followed by a white pick up, followed by a blue pick up... I guess it was Patriot's moment on 10th St.

Tomorrow I am headed to Harrison's classroom to make a Mother's Day craft with the kids. I found a cute suncatcher at familyfun.com so I splurged and bought the supplies for 20 kids to make them. I have all of the glass beads that I need, so I just really needed to buy the 20 gauge wire and little bags to send the sun catchers home in, with some tissue paper to hopefully keep them from getting crushed on the school bus. My plan: to go to Starbucks and buy Mrs. Estala some tea, then go to the classroom, give her the tea so she can sit back while I take over the class, and have each of the kids pick up a bead for her, telling her something nice when they give her their bead, then she can string it onto a suncatcher of her very own, with one bead from each kid.

Our big huge dog, Elbert, is a gomer. We joke and call him "Big Gay Elbert" (no offense!) because he just is! Well, he is a 2 year old lab/weimereiner mix the best we can figure out, so he is just goofy, adventurous and loyal. He loves to be outside when the kids are outside. The twins just let him in because he tries to get on the trampoline with them. I noticed as he came to say Hi to me that he evidently tried to catch a bee again because his lips are swollen. I can't seem to get a picture or I would share because it is about the funniest thing I have seen! I just gave him some benedryl.

Speaking of Elbert, he is big enough and tall enough that he can jump onto the counter top and help himself to just about anything up there. He has eaten many loaves of bread lately. Anyone have any tips on stopping it? I know the easy solution is to keep everythign put away, but in a family of six that just isn't 100% possible and it is MY house, not HIS!

Good Grief!

2009-04-15T21:13:00.001-07:00

I got an email today, asking me when I would be posting new pictures on my blog, so I sighed and decided that I better get back into it! I better pop up a new 'tab' on my browser and put Facebook aside for a little bit!

I am shocked to see that it has been well over a month since I blogged anything. So, I will go back through my old pictures and update, over the next few days, what we have been doing in my lazy down time!

It has been a busy five or so weeks, we have had a major holiday (Easter!) and three birthdays, a birthday party for the three lucky kids, been babysitting my friend's two kids a few days a week, running and attempting to keep up with day to day life in a family of six! Believe it or not, I did actually find time to read a book, I have missed reading and decided to force myself to get back into it. So, I read 7th Heaven by James Patterson. I love that series! It came out a while ago and I rushed to Sam's to buy it, only to declare myself too busy or too tired to read it. I saw an ad on Facebook to download the 8th in the series, so I needed to hurry and read the 7th! Now I am left hanging, wanting a new book to fill the void, but ultimately *needing* to know what happens to the characters in the upcoming book! Hurry Mr Patterson!

Ok, starting tomorrow, I'll post a catch up post! Don't hold your breath though, you might fall over and crack your head on something ;)

The Weekend

2009-03-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

I think today I am going to borrow my friend's "Mind Management Monday" theme to try to recall our weekend!

Friday night we always have pizza, sometimes we eat at home with a movie on a picnic blanket in the living room, sometimes we go out. This Friday we took the kidlets to Dion's. Dion's is always good and the kids have fun watching the pizza being made, and everyone gets what they want! The kids get their cheese pizza, Tom can have a yummy sandwich and I get my salad and a slice with turkey and green chili! Yum!

Saturday morning Harrison and I were up and out the door extra early. The Pinewood Derby district races started at 8am and Harrison thought we should have McDonald's for breakfast, clearly the breakfast of champions? So, we left at 7, ran to McD's and then backtracked to the Mid High for the races. We got there at 7:35 and just in time before the check in line got long! We waited about 15 minutes to get all checked in, then waited another hour and a half for everyone else to get checked in! Finally the racing started around 9:45! Harrison came in 5Th place for the Tigers, out of 15 racers, so not too shabby! He was disappointed to not get a trophy but we were still proud of him! Secretly I was glad that he didn't place in the top four or we would have had to wait around a lot longer for the next round of championship races for the passing out of the trophies, four hours was long enough!

Tom showed up at the races right before the racing started, so after we were done there, we took the kids out to lunch and then I parted company and headed out to do some grocery shopping. I stopped in at my friends children's resale store, My Cedar Chest, and helped her by watching the store for a half hour while she ran to pick up her son from karate. Then I hit Smith's, the bread store and Walmart for diaper wipes. Ran home, unloaded groceries, put them all away, and cooked dinner for the starving family. I made a baked parmesan fish, which actually turned out very well but I used a fish that I wasn't familiar with, next time I'll use a tilapia or something a bit milder than the "whiting" that I picked up on sale at the store.

Sunday morning I woke up around 7:30, layed in bed with Millie until about 8:30. I started my morning the usual way, with breakfast and coffee while checking my email and piddling around online, then I realized I forgot to set the clocks back so it was really almost 10am at that point, so we were not going to make it to church. Upon that realization, I kicked into high gear and started to get some stuff done around the house. I picked up the kids rooms, changed their sheets, vacuumed and then cleaned the carpets in the kids rooms (Millie poured milk in the twins room and then stripped and peed in Harrison's room ) Then picked up the living room, worked on laundry, cleaned the carpet in the living room since I had the cleaner out anyway, cleaned the playroom and computer/craft room, cleaned the carpets in those two rooms. By this time it was time to start working on dinner. Harrison picked our dinner for the night so we had a build your own nachos night and it turned out well! I melted some Velveeta in the fondue pot, cooked up some pinto beans, pulled out the salsa and chips, made up some taco meat and some salads and everyone got to dig in. It was fun and the kids got to have dinner just the way they like it!

As the evening came to a close, I discovered a new addictive game online so Harrison and I played that for a while before sending him off to bed and getting Millie down for the night. The game is Peggle at popcap.com. Very addictive and fun for the kids too!

So, there you have it! Monday morning is starting out to be a Monday. I was lazy and didn't do the dishes from dinner last night, so those are screaming at me, laundry was slow yesterday so I have a bunch of that to finish, the twins have preschool today and each need to bring a potato (already in my purse so I don't forget!) Harrison had a fundraiser due today (Art to Remember) and I forgot to get that all filled out and did that at the last minute this morning, I need to mail my mom's Direct TV dvr back as it is riding around in my car since her car was out of commission last week, Tom called and I have his debit card in my purse, so I need to run that to him while the twins are at school, which eats up my afternoon when I was going to run home and get dinner thrown together, Harrison has computer class after school so we wont get home until about 4:30. Busy day!

A few pictures:

The Tigers watching their races

Harrison and his fellow Tiger, Jotham, showing off their medals

Millie pondering the beverage machines at the mid high during the races

Harrison's car is in lane two....

Our Weekend

2009-03-01T20:45:00.000-08:00

Nothing overly exciting happened this weekend. We had one major milestone, a day long of play, Millie's first movie on Sunday and first aid in the desert Sunday evening.

Let me start with the major milestone. Harrison, our oldest, is 7 1/2 years old. Perhaps we are a bit over protective, but he has not had an overnight at some one's house yet. He did sleep over at Nana's house once, and then last summer went to Virginia with Nana to visit Aunt Alix and Uncle Mark, but that was all family, so not the same! This Friday night he crossed the bridge! The year before I had Millie I was babysitting my friend's two kidlets when she returned to work. Her oldest is two months older than Harrison and they are pretty good buddies. Well, lately I have been watching her kids again on Saturdays and the boys started scheming. We decided to let them have an overnight, at their house, and she would just bring Harrison home when she dropped her two off the next morning. The report was good, everyone made it through the night and the boys were tired but not too bad the next day. Wow, I almost think it was harder on Mommy and Daddy than on Harrison!

Saturday I had my friend's kids all day. Her boy, as I just said, is the same age as Harrison and her little girl is 9 months younger than Nick and Abby. Abby loves having Alex over, gives her a girly playmate for the day! Nick gets a bit lost in the shuffle though. The big boys push him away and he really doesn't want to play with the girls, at least not when the big boys are around because they might make fun of him, any other time and he would be fine with the girls! Saturday night, after those two went home, we took the kids to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner, yum!

Sunday Tom needed some study time and some rest time since he has a cold. My mom and I took the kids with us to run some errands. I needed to head to Trader Joe's to get some coffee and then we stopped at Dion's for some lunch. We took in a movie at the dollar theater: Bolt, very cute! The pigeon's were the best! Millie did alright, I was a bit surprised actually at how well she did. Mom and I basically book ended the kids into the row of seats, with about 6 seats between us. Millie just went back and forth between her Nana and Mommy, snacking on cookies, drinking water, talking about the "Buppy!" on the big screen! On the drive home, Nick and Abby fought over who would get the DVD for Christmas, they mutually agreed that Nick would give one to Abby and Abby would give one to Nick. I guess we'll just have two copies of the same movie, as long as they both get what they want! :)

After returning home, I decided to get some fresh air and exercise and take Elbert for a romp in the desert behind our house. He is our only dog that I trust off leash and he loves to run around and sniff, comes racing back every time I call him back. So, Abby ended up tagging along. We followed a trail out to the dirt road behind our house and decided instead of following the dirt road or heading back, we would be adventurous and just make our way through the desert. Well, Elbert caught a scent and followed it right into a big cholla cactus! Those things drop clusters of thorns, long thorns, all around on the ground. Poor Elbert had thorns in all four paws, up his legs and on other parts of his body from brushing up against the cactus. Abby and I helped him get most out, as many as we could. She was quite a trooper actually, they HURT as I pulled them out, because being clusters of prickers, the puller gets pricked as well, but Abby didn't seem to mind that she was getting hurt, she just wanted to fix poor Elbert. He hobbled home with a few single prickers in the pads of his feet. He *hates* to have his feet touched, it is the only time he has a negative opinion about anything! I tried to get the rest out and to feel around for any stragglers. He is still pulling when I try to feel the last foot, but I think the others are cleaned out. Poor dog! Next time we'll follow the dirt road or just drive to the dog park!

Blue and Gold

2009-02-27T10:57:00.000-08:00

Harrison's cub scout pack had their annual Blue and Gold banquet a week ago. It all went well, all the boys seemed to have fun and all received their patches and other awards. Harrison earned his Tiger badge which is a big deal when you are a Tiger scout. He also got a trophy for winning first place in his den at the Pinewood Derby!

Harrison and Millie watching the events

Tom pinning Harrison's Tiger patch on his shirt.

Harrison and Jotham showing off their trophies

Lent

2009-02-27T10:41:00.000-08:00

I remember as a child, we used to "give up" something for lent. I never fully understood why adn we never really stuck with it consistantly. This year I am trying hard to help my kids understand the sacrifice and directing that time and energy otherwise spent on the activity to God. Last year the kids and I "gave up" fast food as it had become a real convenience. This year we are doing the same even though we only really eat out/fast food once a week if even that (not counting my drive thru to get a Coke to feed my habit) So, this year we are giving up fast food, even for my Cokes! The kids seem to have a grasp on the idea, just last night Nick asked if he and I could stop while we are out on our "date" and I reminded him why and what it meant. So, this morning we picked my mom up at work and he said "I know we can't go to McDonalds yet, because God loves us" Then Abby chimed in with her explanation.

I have also given up computer time during the day, from 9am to 7pm. Yes, I am blogging right now and it is 11:53am, but I can justify (can't any addict justify a relapse?) My main problem during the day with the computer is the five minutes here and there that turn into 30. The "oh, I'll check my email real quick" or "I just finished laundry so I'll check facebook for a minute" Now that my computer time is limited to just the evenings, in which I am sharing it with Tom and also wanting to see my couple tv shows, I haven't taken time to update my blog lately and it is a good method for keeping friends and family current on the happenings of our crazy family! Thus I am justifying my blogging!

Back in the Saddle

2009-02-17T08:16:00.000-08:00

For the longest time, when I was working and for a bit after the twins were born, I would spend time digging through cook books, finding recipes and planning our dinner menu. I would generally do a two week period of time and then shop accordingly. I would make sure I had everything I needed for the menu and save a list for the second week of the perishables that wouldn't last long enough to buy ahead.

I don't know exactly when I got away from it but I have decided to start doing it again. Dinner was so much easier! I would post a calendar that had the dinners written on it as well as the pages/titles of the cookbooks I would be using. I would plan crock pot dinners if I was working, or make something in the morning if it would be a busy afternoon. It was actually easier when the twins were little because I knew what we were having and I could get most of the prep work done early, so when the dinner-hour-fuss-out would start, I would just pop a pan in the oven and it was taken care of!

We also always used to have a big family dinner on Sunday evenings. I would make something yummy and even though we generally eat dinner as a family almost every night of the week, there was something about the Sunday dinner that was just a bit more ceremonial and special. Sundays lately have been chaos: I take the kids to church and then generally out to lunch or to run errands, Tom stays home to study and sleep. By the time we get home, it is late afternoon, the kids want to play outside and I try to take Elbert to the dog park or just get a little bit of sanity time for myself before the weekend is over. Before I know it, 5pm is rolling around, nothing is thawed and there is no plan. This Sunday was my turning point. I made my choice to get back into the menu planning and Sunday dinners as I literally made PB&J, cut up carrots, sliced apples and grapes for dinner!

Yesterday was shopping day. I went to the Fruit Basket to get a bunch of fruits and veggies, as I do almost weekly anyway. Then on to the grocery store with my list in hand. I now have everything I need for dinners for the week! Last night we had a chili chicken casserole. Tonight it is Hobo burgers. Wednesday quiche, Thursday barbecue meatballs, Friday I am going to attempt to make pizza crust so the kids can make their own pizza's for our Friday pizza picnic. I have never had luck using yeast before so wish me luck!

Simply Cupid

2009-02-11T08:05:00.001-08:00

So far I only have three kids in school and I am starting to realize the chaos that goes with that. Take Valentine's Day for example: Three kids in classes that require cards to exchange: 16 cards each for the twins and then 20 for Harrison = 52 cards. Harrison went to town with his, writing names and signing his. He did have trouble with a few because the lines are so incredibly short, it is hard to fit a name with ten letters written in 1st grade lettering! Nick and Abby are in the same class, so they each needed 16 cards. Thankfully their teacher just wanted their names on the cards, instead of putting the "To" spot filled in, so the kids can just pass them out. Abby happily signed away her name 16 times, Nick had a little trouble but did finally get his done. His cards were teeny and shiney, so it was hard to write with a pencil on them.

Then comes the party time. For most of the twins parties at school this year, I have cheated and wimped out, just sending what I needed to send while the other Mom's seem to put together the goody bags and make the amazing cupcakes and treats. So, this time I promised Nick and Abby that they could bring something fun. We bought heart cups at Walmart and filled them with candy, a pencil, a deflated balloon and I think something else. So then Harrison comes home and announces he wants the same, sorry but not this time!

I noticed the cards don't have envelopes anymore, just the little flaps to fold the edge under (which ripped on most cards that Abby tried to do herself) and they don't come with a "Teacher" card either!

Nick and Abby have their party today, Harrison has his tomorrow and then can we be done until the next school party?

Dog Park

2009-02-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

Our crazy dog Elbert starts to get giddy after a week or so of no vigorous exercise. I like to try to take him to the dog park on Sunday afternoons but that doesn't happen as regularly as I would like. So, Thursday I actually completed everything on my 'to-do' list so we picked up Harrison at school, ran home, grabbed his bike, rc car and Elbert. The dog park at Rainbow Park has an open area beside it, which is all dirt and has a dirt pile. Harrison likes to ride his bike there and Nick was driving around the rc car while they all played on the dirt pile. Millie had to hang out in the stroller with me in the dog area, but she did alright, she enjoyed watching the dogs clobber her "Bobo" dog.

Harrison and his cool RC Car he got for Christmas

Elbert is normally pretty much a black dog, but at dog park he turns into a dusty dirty gray color

Another Cub Scout day

2009-02-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

Harrison's Tiger den had one more "go see it" to complete before getting their Tiger patch at the Blue and Gold in two weeks. The 'go see it' has to teach the boys something about communication. I guess they looked into a tour of the Abq Journal, but the boys were too young, same with the tv stations etc. So, I called up some old contacts from my days as working Mom, and set up a tour of Starline Printing. The boys got an introduction to the printing process, got to see some of the many types of media that is printed at Starline and got some cool goodies to take home!

The tour begins....

Mr. Dan showing the boys a metal plate with the images burned on it, he explained that they do one plate per color and use oil and water to get the ink to print onto the paper. One boy asked "If you make the metal plates here, do you also make paper plates?" Wrong kind of plates kiddo!

On to the HUGE printer....

The boys standing by three stacked rolls of paper

Clearly no one was expecting a gaggle of 7 year old boys to parade through the building when they left for the weekend!

Thanks Mr. Dan for giving us your Saturday morning and thanks Mr. Lang for helping make this happen!

Who works hardest in our house?

2009-02-04T10:11:00.000-08:00

Tom goes to work all day, five days a week, from 7-4. I take care of the kids all day with duties stretching into the evening and night and all weekend. Tom does some things around the house after work too. So, it is debatable about who works harder.

My personal vote for the hardest working family member is....drum roll.... our washer and dryer! They are loyal and always ready for action at the turn of a dial and push of a button, they never argue or whine or want to sleep in, some days they get a day off, but always have to pay for it later with extra work. Sometimes they work all day long with hardly a break between loads, working well into the evening, right up to the time the last load gets rotated and the house goes dark for bedtime, only to start up again bright and early before the first kiddo is off to school.

Elmer the Elephant

2009-02-01T19:01:00.000-08:00

So, Harrison came home last week with the assignment that he had to make a book character out of recycling. We looked through books and came up with some ideas, then browsed our recycling collection and came up with Elmer the Elephant. We had one of the big pretzel jugs from Costco, milk gallons, some card board/paper board, soda cans, a 2 liter bottle and of course, the glue gun.

Elmer's tail, the ring from a bottle of spaghetti sauce

His body is the pretzel jug, his head is a 2 liter bottle, eyes are milk caps, trunk is the hanlde from a milk jug, ears are cut from a milk jug, legs are soda cans and his patchwork body is made from cut up boxes.

Look a'me!

2009-01-30T11:10:00.000-08:00

I have said it once and I'll say it again, Millie is just too darn cute! I know Harrison was too darn cute, then the twins came along and they were too. However, with time, those little twinges you get when they do something adorable seem to fade a bit, the memories of every cute little giggle, saying or expression fade until we are only reminded on video or picture. So, I know my others were cute too, but now we are embracing the moments of Millie being and adorable toddler!

Her new thing is to do something daring or spectacular by her standards and then say "look a'me!" over and over again. Two nights ago at the dinner table, we had two chairs pushed side by side and she intentionally put one foot on one chair and one foot on the other (keep in mind there was no gap) but for her it was HUGE to be on two chairs at once and she just got the "I am hot stuff" look on her face and looked at Tom and said "Look a'me!" then looked at me and said "Look a'me!" over and over again! Forget the conversation we were having or the dinner in front of us, it just reminds us of how fleeting these moments are at this age, in a week it won't be "Look a'me" she'll be saying it right and it won't be as cute, or the little things like standing on two chairs at once just won't cut it for her anymore.

So, in the mean time, I will stop and melt as her little voice proudly demands attention and demands that we "look a'me!"

Playhouse Disney Live

2009-01-27T17:03:00.000-08:00

One of the joys of parenthood is taking the kids to the stage productions of their favorite shows etc. I think we all pretend that it is silly but deep down, we all enjoy it to some level :) Last year we saw My Little Pony on stage as well as Nemo on ice. This past Sunday my mom and I took the kids to Playhouse Disney Live. It wasn't too bad, the kids all enjoyed it. I was dreading taking Millie because I really thought she was too young and would just be climbing all over, but she did super well and was fascinated with the big characters that she recognized from her favorite shows.

Nana, Harrison, Nicholas, Abigail and Millicent, waiting for the show to start

Millie with her Little Einstein's conductor stick. She only whacked the kids in front of us a few times :) "We are going on a trip in our favorite rocket ship...."

Handy Manny
I have kind of always wondered about Manny, but the dancing neon tools confirmed my suspicions

Dance Millie, Dance!

Our friends, Tigger and Pooh

The entire crew

Pinewood Derby

2009-01-27T09:27:00.001-08:00

I have had some troubles lately with getting pictures to upload, so I am backed up on my "gotta blog" list!

Saturday was Harrison's first Pinewood Derby. He is a Tiger Scout this year, so we will have many more of these to come! He and Tom attended the car building day for the Pack and then between the three of us (Tom, Harrison and me) we got the car built and shiny just in time for the big race Saturday.

Harrison's Hot Rod!

Harrison took first place in the three races in his den. When they raced for the Pack Champion though he did not do as well, the years of experience from the other Cubs showed! He placed first in our books though, especially in sportsmanship! He will be in the district races in March.

Showing off his award

Aspirin in the best form of birth control

2009-01-25T12:46:00.000-08:00

That is what we were told in our high school, or was it jr high, sex ed class. Now-a-days I guess they use more politically correct, try it on for size, methods.

The other day I was at Walmart with my mom, we were shopping, child free. I saw a young girl in the baby section, shopping for baby clothes with who I assume was her own mother. The young girl was holding a very teeny baby. Yes, my first thought was to pass judgement and the whole "Gosh, she is so young!" "Teenagers having babies, ugh" type attitude. Then the baby started to cry and she moved the baby into another position and I felt sorry for the baby for the inexperience and lack of compassion in the way she handled the baby, again, my thoughts went back to how incredibly young she is! Then I saw it, a plastic foot sticking out of the blanket. She isn't a mom, yet, but instead is doing the whole "try it on for size" method of what the system hopes to be birth control. However, as she and her "Mother" were in Walmart, clothes shopping for the new "Grandbaby" I would think that in this one case, it wasn't working too well.

Fast forward to yesterday. I was in the parking lot at JC Penney's looking for a spot so I could go find a purse that would be big enough for me to carry my new camera along with my other 'stuff' when I passed a very young couple, all of maybe 16 years old. She was standing in her "skinny" jeans and cleavage holding a baby with a bottle in it's mouth. "Daddy" was busy getting the baby car seat out of the back of the two door car. She was pissed and bugged with him, he was tired and bugged with the entire situation. As she carried the baby and he carried the car seat, it was obvious that it was not a real baby and chances are, this young couple would be handing the baby back to their instructor Monday morning and running as far away from each other as they can!

So, as I shopped, I was thinking of the young kids with their "try it on" dolls, them thinking of how cool it would be if they had babies and how easy it would be also. I was in the little boy section looking for some pants for Nick. All of their clearance items were dwindling, yet I was determined to come up with an even number of the BOGO clearance items. I heard this little boy yelling "Helen!" My immediate thought was that he had lost his grandma (Helen is my grandma's name and seems to be an 'old' name to me) but he kept it up. Then the lady next to me, who appeared to be alone, yelled back "Brady, keep track of your brother" Then I heard the boys run up the middle aisle, laughing and giggling. Then she said, again: "Brady and Kellen, be good please" and she kept looking. Then here they come again, running back down the same aisle, from the big boys section clear down to the baby section, yelling and laughing. Once again "Boys, be sweet" I have to confess, as they started weaving in and out of the clothes racks and one ran into me, I didn't apologize or step out of his way as he told me to "move it lady" as he tried to get away from his brother. His mom kindly apologized on behalf of her "sweet" and "good" precious boys. Every time the loud speaker came over, instructing shoppers to shop clearance or whatever, I was for sure someone was going to come on and say "Will the owner of the two brats running and yelling and knocking clothes off the racks in the kids departments, please control them or leave!" But, I could only hope, it never happened.

It all made me wonder, if the teenager "Moms" were given Kellen and Brady, perhaps they might consider not having kids so soon!

So, aspirin, as we were taught, is the best form of birth control, not a baby doll that cries, or brats running in the store. How, you ask, does aspirin serve as birth control? We all asked that in jr high or high school also, when Miss Wallenberg told us that. She was from Iowa, one of many kids, I am thinking it was literally like 10 kids. She stood in front of our class, in the small Lutheran High School (and jr high) that I attended, and told us exactly how aspirin is the best form of birth control: You put one between your knees and don't let it fall!

Flakey as a biscuit

2009-01-23T09:56:00.000-08:00

I have a confession: I have been so flaky lately! In my "before motherhood" days I was NEVER flaky! I worked at the same job for 7 years and I was late for work one day and that was *only* because they called on my way to work and needed me to stop for something and I ran into someone at the store that I knew, through work so I had to be nice :) Of those 7 years, I called in sick one day, I missed one other day because I went to work sick and they sent me home (the other sick day followed this day)

So, I guess I was doing well so God decided to test me with one baby. I still held on and was pretty predictable and dependable, so he gave me two at once. It took me a while to recover from that, but I did, and was still pretty non-flaky, so along came the Grand Finale. I have to declare, I have surrendered and confessed, I cannot maintain a coherent thought any longer.

About two weeks ago I invited a friend to the mall while my kids were all in school, her baby is Millie's age so it would just be the two babies. Then I realized I had invited her on MLK Jr day, so all my kids were out, so I had every intention of sending her a text message to say whoops and reschedule, but I flaked and totally didn't send the message! I left her hanging the day we were supposed to go out. I NEVER do things like that!

So, fast forward to the present: This Saturday I was supposed to go with my friend to paint the inside of her Mom's house so they can put it on the market. Well, then I realized it was the same day as Pinewood Derby. That part is not my fault, the parent in charge of Scouting did not inform the non-scouting parent of the event by following proper procedure and putting it on the family calendar, so my painting went on the calendar first, however I cannot send him to the Derby with four kids, so, as usual, my plans are the ones being changed. No problem, my friend is a peach and said "great, what about Sunday?" Sunday works, no problem! So, this morning, Friday morning, my mom calls and has six tickets to the Playhouse Disney Live, one what day? Sunday. I did convince her to go with us and let Tom stay home and study for his class, but now I have to flake on my friend.

Twice in a week, not good for my track record! Do they sell some herb that is safe while nursing that will help my brain focus and go back to normal or do I just have to ride the Motherhood Train and hope it eventually comes back???

I got it!

2009-01-22T08:25:00.000-08:00

Cricket, being a model for the camera: The full size original shows more vivid colors and definition in his coat. He was mad at me so ignore the bitter look on his face

I finally got my new camera, let the learning begin! I knew when I picked out this camera, or this level of camera, that I would have a lot to learn compared to a basic point and shoot like I previously owned.

I played with the camera a bit last night and got it basically put together (battery charged, lens cap on etc)

Here are a few of the pictures I took last night, please ignore the dirty faces!

I took this from across the room, the definition in the original picture is surprising! Makes me think I need to get my eyes checked and get new glasses!

Abigail: the original of this shows the static-y hair flying away as well as the highlights in her hair. I took this about 5 feet away from her.

Harrison, supposed to be showing me his missing front teeth. The original shows all of his peach fuzz on his face as well as the grooves on his new bottom teeth. This picture was taken standing across the room from him.

New Camera!

2009-01-20T13:09:00.000-08:00

Finally! I am getting a new camera tomorrow. I have shopped around and I have decided it is too painful to shop in the brick and mortar stores and THEN come home and read the reviews and research the cameras online because there is always a lower price on the internet, but I don't want to wait that long to get a camera. Pinewood Derby is Saturday and I need a camera to capture it.

So, I have settled on the Nikon P80. There are many others with similar features, but I found this one at Kurt's Camera and the price is very similar to those online but it comes with a 3 year service plan and a case (You mean my purse isn't good enough?)

I am so happy! I have felt lost with out my camera! I keep catching myself reaching for it, only to realize that yet another adorable moment in life will just go undocumented! Not anymore!

Milk

2009-01-19T08:27:00.000-08:00

I am not a fan of drinking milk, so I am not the best example for my monkeys. I don't like the taste of it unless it is super duper cold or is poured over cereal. I am not the one who drinks the left over milk from my bowl of cereal, that is why I have Rudy, he loves to drink the milk, that is his job!

My kids have all gone through the early stage where they can't seem to handle milk. Nick was so severe that he had to drink Nutramigen until he was 18 months and then soy milk until he was about 4 years old. Abby was on soy formula until a year and then drank soy milk with Nick more because she preferred it, I don't think it was much of a necessity for her like with Nick. Harrison couldn't really drink cows milk straight for a while, but he also nursed a long time so I never worried about it. Millie is the same as Harrison, she is still nursing but she does seem to have issues with her bottom when she drinks too much milk.

Now that everyone (except Millie) is on the same page and all drinking skim milk, I pour a glass of milk with dinner each night and expect them to drink it. Lately it has become the battle of the week. I don't mind putting a little Hershey's in the cup, but if we are out of chocolate, then the milk still needs to disappear. Perhaps that is part of my midwest upbringing, or the slogan "Milk, it does the body good" but I do feel strongly that milk is just something you drink every day while the bones are growing! I am sure my kids could drink more but with the battle of just one cup, I have to pick my battles.

Harrison will drink, easily, three glasses of milk at dinner and have milk at lunch at school, so I don't worry about him. If I give Nick milk, he'll drink it but not always be happy about it. Abby lately has become a different story! It is the battle of the week and good grief is she getting snitty about it! I was in the middle of it at dinner the other night and had picked it as my battle and I was going to stand by it when Daddy decided she didn't need the milk and told her it was alright, she could go with out drinking it.

At some point the battle goes way beyond the original battle. This battle between Abby and I was no longer about drinking milk, it had reached the point of 'you are being a brat about it, and you need to do what your Mom says" but still, Tom decided it was about milk and let her go.

A little background, Abby doesn't eat. She will sit at the table and take maybe two bites of food and that is that. So, I don't think it is asking too much for her to at least drink some milk to help give her body something to work with. About one week every couple months, she will eat everything we put in front of her, the other weeks, she takes about 10 bites a day, thus I feel it is important to make sure what is going in, it maximizing it's usefullness to a growing body! I have considered rolling her food in ground up miracle grow and crushed vitamins, that way her six bites are complete nutrition, but that probably would be a bit overkill!

So anyway, I didn't intend on bashing my husband or airing our disagreement, or even singing the praises of milk as it is probably my last choice of beverages personally! I guess I am just rambling, just one of the daily struggles we have around here. It is 9:40am and I am already starting to anticipate the battle that will happen in 8 hours when we sit down at the dinner table!

Just my luck

2009-01-16T21:51:00.000-08:00

Last week the kids and I were out running around after we dropped Harrison at school and I realized that I have kind of missed the morning radio show that I used to listen to (Jackie Tony and Donnie on 100.3 The Peak) every day last year while driving Harrison to and from school (appx 2 hours round trip from home to school to home) I won a few things last year by calling in for some of their "Random Acts of Kindness" segments that they did every day.

So, as I listened a little bit this week, I decided to jump back in and try to bring back my luck and win something. They did most of the good things by email this time around, so I emailed to win a "Snuggie" blanket which made Tom and I laugh when we saw the commercial for it a few weeks ago, also for tickets to Playhouse Disney Live and also for the High School Musical on Ice (abby would enjoy the skating!) Wouldn't you know, I won! That is right, I am now the proud owner of my very own Snuggie! I'll be sure to post some pictures of us all huddled under it. I think I am more excited about the booklight that comes with it, now maybe I'll finally read the latest James Patterson, Womens Murder Club novel!

My mom and I joked that I never get a chance to sit down long enough to actually use the blanket, good point Mom!

Facebook

2009-01-16T21:43:00.000-08:00

I have been on Facebook for a few months now, after much convincing from a few friends of mine from high school. I have enjoyed it, much more than myspace, and have been bugging Tom to give it a try.

Tom, being Tom, couldn't just take the leap and try it, knowing he could cancel and delete at any moment. He researched it online. "Well, www.blahblahblah.com says that Facebook is used for....."

So, tonight Tom went to Santa Fe to meet up with and old friend from the 'hood that he grew up in (If Omaha could be called a 'hood?) and Brent mentioned that he has joined Facebook and talked about all the people they mutually know who he has reconnected with etc. So, my husband just confessed to me that he too will finally give it a try.

Quotes heard around the house today

2009-01-09T13:23:00.000-08:00

Nick to me: "My ear stinks"
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Millie to me: "Ya you" (Love you) followed by a blowing kiss as she runs down the hall to be naughty
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Abby to Nick: "Nick, your back is hairy like Daddy's!"
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Breakfast time: me and Nick, conversing: "Nick, what do you want for breakfast?" "Noodles"
Lunch time: me and Nick, conversing: "Nick, what should we have for lunch?" "Noodles"
Later in the afternoon: Abby: "Mommy, is tonight pizza picnic?" "Yes Abby, it is Friday, so pizza picnic night!" Nick: "Can we have noodles on our pizza?" Abby: "Nick, you love noodles way too much!" Nick: "I know Abby, some day I want to marry noodles"
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Upon the discovery of the fairy dust left behind by the tooth fairy: Abby: "Mommy, the toothfairy sure left a lot of fairy dust behind last night!" Nick: "Maybe Slipper (cat) almost caught her and she spilled her fairy dust bag"
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Nick walking into the living room after Millie changed the tv channel: "Mommy, there is a naughty daddy show on tv" Abby: "Nick, it isn't a naughty Daddy show, it is a naughty teenage show!" sidenote: the term 'naughty daddy show' is innocent and refers to the tornado/hurricane/tsunami/alien attack/end-of-the-world shows Daddy likes to watch, nothing kinky, naughty teenage show refers to the shows on Nick and Disney that we don't let the kids watch like Hannah Montana, Drake and Josh, Suite Life etc)
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Amputation

2009-01-08T16:28:00.000-08:00

OK, not quite, but still. My camera has grown tired and decided to stop working. I would rather be with out my cell phone than my camera. I have four children, I use it every day, multiple times a day.

Needless to say, I am distraught.

New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-08T14:35:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know, I am late on this. I haven't posted in a while so I have some catching up to do.

Typically everyone has the New Year's resolutions that are so predictable: lose weight, exercise more, etc. One year I vowed to keep up with our laundry, then I had #4, I think God was laughing at me at that point. So, this year mine are going to be simple, more focused on the little things in life.

1. I want to bake cookies more often. It is such a simple task, all the kids get involved and everyone loves the outcome. It makes the house smell good too! Right now I have dough chilling for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, YUM! I will make enough to send for snack in Harrison's class tomorrow.

2. I want to start practicing Dr Randy Carlson's "one thing" rule more often. When you start to get frustrated or short tempered with the kids, you pause and ask yourself "what is one thing I can do other than snapping at them" I try, really I do, but sometimes I do snap and then I always feel bad. I often don't hear myself until I hear Tom when he is in a mood or when I am out in public and I hear someone else talk to their kids and my first thought is "poor kids!" but then I stop and realize that I probably sound like that at times too. So, I want to pause more and think of 'one thing' I can do to diffuse the situation.

3. I want to learn how to sew. I have a sewing machine and I have never used it.

4. I want to pray more. Seems so basic as a Christian, yet most nights by the time my head hits the pillow it is the farthest thing in my mind. Instead I am running through the day, reviewing the moments I could have done better, should have done better and just wish I could re-do. I am going through the list of things to do the next day, list of things I didn't get done and have to finish the next day and list of things I want to take care of. Mornings are just crazy, by the time I hit the snooze one too many times. Perhaps I need to make that my priority, to get up one snooze cycle earlier and pray in the shower. I laughed when someone at MOPS said that a few years ago, now I see the logic!

5. I will write thank you notes this year! The last couple years I have really slacked in this department and I need to get back in the routine! 3/4 of the kids are old enough to participate in their thank you's to some extent, so I need to get them in the routine of writing them! Harrison can write his own and the twins can draw a picture and sign their names on the cards.

6. The glass is 1/2 full, right? I have found when I spend a lot of time with my mom, it quickly becomes 1/2 empty. I need to focus on the positive rather than slipping more into her mind set of focusing on the negative.

So, I am sure I could go on and on. Now that I have put these in writing, you can all feel free to send gifts to test out #5 (a digital camera would be nice) I would even #1 with the #5 and include you in the #4 in the morning, do #2 with the gift, thus capturing the action forever, and maybe I could use #3 to make the #5? Go ahead, send the camera and I'll see what I can do :)

What I learned this Christmas...

2008-12-25T20:02:00.000-08:00

I know, it is Christmas, I should post a mushy sentimental post, but sorry, not in the mood!

These are not in any particular order.

1. Moon Sand: messy yes, but I have to confess, I think I prefer it to Play Doh! I didn't have to pick it out of any one's shoes or hair and Millie spit it out instead of chewing it! I think I will like it even more once all the colors are mushed together so I don't have to keep hearing "No Abby! Keep the green with the green and the blue with the blue!"

2. When the kids wake up at 4:30, sending them back to bed just won't work on Christmas! They don't go back to sleep, thus we don't go back to sleep! We did manage to prolong it to about 5:45, but that was as long as we could hold them off AND still maintain the spirit of Christmas!

3. I have been saying for at least two years now "This will be Rudy's last Christmas" but this year is. He is tired and his health is rapidly catching up with him.

4. My mom is highly unlikely to go to the ER when she slices her finger with a knife, so why would I even bother to argue with her about it when she slices it on Christmas day! Being the retired RN that she is, she just steri stripped it with some bandage tape, wrapped it up and suffered, true Nikki style!

5. Never try new recipes on a holiday. That recipe in allrecipes.com that has raving reviews and is even titled "Awesome Broccoli Casserole" is sure to not be all that awesome if tried for the first time on a holiday!

6. Arriving at church, on Christmas Eve, 10 minutes late leaves you with the only row of six open seats being in the front row. Not good for parental nerves, but provides a good laugh for the pastor.

7. I have yet to figure out just how Millie unfastens my nursing bra from the outside of my shirt, but some who she kept doing it in church last night, in the front row where it is impossible to fasten it discretely.

8. This is the only year Millie will look out the car windows after dark and sound so excited when she exclaims "Leelee Lighs" for all of the "Christ-Mas-Lights" she sees. Can I hold on to that little voice in my head forever, please?

9. Christmas is a good time to see just how well you are doing, as a parent, at building those ever important 'character' traits in your kids. Example: Harrison got a cool huge dune buggy type RC car. Nana comes over with a very cute RC My Little Pony thing for Abby, leaving Nick out of the RC races. He handled it very well, stepping back and watching the other kids (a little pouty, but no crying or tantrums) and they handled it very well by handing over the remotes with out parental nudging and sharing the fun!

10. Not everything has to be equal, life is full of times when things are not equal. Nick and Abby both had bigger gifts this year that were not wrapped: Abby got a Little Tykes vanity and Nick got a Home Depot work bench. Harrison immediately took note and commented upon walking into the living room this morning, but then moved on, acknowledging that he got a new bike last year and the twins did not.

11. All three of our older kids this year knew the true meaning of Christmas and were excited about Jesus having a birthday. Makes a Mommy proud.

12. Never write a note from Santa in normal handwriting, for when they are seven and older and wiser, they will pull that note out of their secret hiding place and show it off. This year Santa took a second to email Mrs Clause from our house, and in the process, he typed up a quick thank you for the fudge and carrots, even left a fudgy thumb print on the note!

13. Feeding Elbert a feast of Christmas dinner left overs makes for a very stinky dog later in the evening!

Walmart is good for the soul

2008-12-17T20:37:00.000-08:00

So, Harrison has a potluck at school tomorrow with his class. I decided I would make a HUGE batch of spaghetti and sauce tonight, for our dinner and then make a big container to take to the potluck. I needed pretty much all of the ingredients for my sauce, and we also needed a bag of Pedigree for my overly sensitive dog (long story) So, Walmart was the obvious choice because I could get everything in one place at a reasonable price (dog food at the grocery? forget it!)

I have been blessed with the sanity and clarity to know that Walmart is cheap on some items but you pay for it in others. I have been shopping at Smith's for a long time now, for the fuel rewards and also because they kick some back to our school. It is smaller, just groceries, and "normal" if you know what I mean.

I pull into Walmart his afternoon, approximately 3:45pm. I drove around the parking lot, hoping to get a decent spot. I think driving around the parking lot is one of the most frustrating parts of Walmart because you have to dodge the loose children, the seniors who just put the car in reverse but lack the range of motion to look over the shoulder to see if it is clear, and then there are the 'wrong way' parkers who grab the spots up. I don't like to park too far away at Walmart because A) a few years ago my purse was stolen in their parking lot and B) with four kids and all of the reasons I hate their lot listed above, it is just dangerous to try to walk them too far in the lot, you just never know!

Once we arrived near the front door and secured a cart, the twins climbed into the back and Millie also sat in the back with them. She is too much of a big girl now to ride in the " baby seat" up front and has to stand in the back. I choose to avoid the screaming and allow her the simple indulgence. Yes, the twins are old enough to walk in the store, but it IS Walmart a week before Christmas, so it is easier to just have them ride so no one gets lost or run over by the previously mentioned senior shopper.

Wouldn't you know it, my cart has a bum wheel and is pulling, horribly, to the left. Fun. We head to the sketti section and get what I need, head to the produce to get salad makings for dinner tonight (wow, cukes for .77 each, at Smith's they were .99 each!) Harrison hiccuped and decided to be dramatic and tell me he thought he was going to throw up and needed to go to the bathroom. Personally the public bathroom here would make me want to throw up, not a place I would WANT to go. I stalled and he was fine, but we still had to walk in that direction to get the dog food for Elbert, so he ran over and went to the bathroom. No, I did not discart all three other kids, he went by himself. After getting nasty looks for stopping in Walmart, while waiting for him, we finally started my work out as we headed back to the dog food. Harrison wanted to go see the Christmas decorations in the green house area, but, due to the cart misbehaving, we headed to the check out.

Score! One cart in front of me! She has a fair amount, but only one cart! The kids are getting antsy, but there is only one cart in front of me. Oh great, she is asking for subtotals part way through, then counting her cash, green light and the scanning continues, but then something rang up wrong.... fixed and it continues. She is scowling at us, the happy Mom behind her, because my toddler his throwing her shoes out, twin A has to pee, twin B is getting squished by toddler and Child #1 wants goldfish for everyone. I can remedy twin A and the pee, and Child #1 and his needs by sending him as an escort to the ladies bathroom, to guard the stall of Twin A (safety in numbers) and it was right across from the end of our check out late. I am the second cart because, there is only one cart in front of me. Yes, if it had been Twin B who had to pee, I could have told him to hold it and he would have waited a full 24 hours to relieve himself. Child #1 and Twin A are not like that, they wait until the last minute and if you deny them, Twin A will just go and not tell you (in her pants) and Child #1 will eventually start to dance and almost cry and on rare occasion has peed his pants in the car. So, they are not the ones to mess around with!

I am unloading the cart, finally, and realize Crazy Toddler has stepped on the .77 cukes and we will now be eating all three for dinner because they are squished. Oh well. She reaches up and grabs the cart in front of us, and makes the other lady bitter because OMG, a 20 month old precious screaming baby touched her cart! Well, Lady, you are at Walmart.

We FINALLY finish and head out, I go to pull the dog food out from under the cart and realize when the checker pulled it out aggressively because I was lazy and didn't put it on the belt for her, she ripped it. Thankfully it was salvageable because I think if the car waiting for my spot had seen me leave the car to go back in, would have pulled a Towanda and smashed my car!

Did I mention that I had scored a prime first slot spot? So it was worth waiting for while I unloaded the groceries, Crazy Toddler and corralled Child #1 and Twins A and B.

So, how does this all amount to "Walmart is good for the soul" you might ask? It makes me realize that I am "normal" because Walmart frustrates me. It is a reminder that I have options and choices and even though Walmart is closest to my house and I can get it all in one stop, I choose to go to Costco for diapers and wipes, and dog food when not in a crisis, Smiths for groceries, the toy store for toys, the clothing stores for clothes etc.

Humor is also good for our souls. Last week Tom emailed me the "Walmart Bingo" card which made me laugh and then I put it out of my mind until I was walking to the entrance today and found my first chip spot! "Child with out shoes" but then, after simply turning my head, I saw another "someone missing a limb" then "someone using an oxygen tank" the list goes on. If anyone wants the file, I'll forward it to you, it is good for a laugh!

Dog food crisis? I decided to buy the bigger bag of the Costco brand and sent Elbert's digestive system into a tail spin, literally! He has been living on white rice for three days now and was finally ready to transition back to Pedigree. For years we fed our dogs Natures Recipe and Nutro only to find Elbert on a dirt road and learn the hard way that all this dog can tolerate is Pedigree!

Let it Snow!

2008-12-16T20:29:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to bed thinking the kids were on a 2 hour delay at school, there were about 2 inches of snow on the ground. This morning that delay had turned into the entire day off, with probably about four inches on the ground. My kids started at approximately 7:30, asking when they could go out and play in the snow. By 8:15 Harrison had three piles in the living room, of snow pants/coats/hats/mittens and all of the necessities, waiting for the whistle to blow so they could hurry to be the first kid in the snow! I was mean and made them wait until about 9am. By the time I gave in and dressed Millie to take her out, the twins we coming in as I was going out.

Harrison, being the amazing kid that he is, was across the street shoveling his Nana's driveway, her neighbor, Margaret's driveway and was all ready to help Mr Martinez with his, but he came out to do his own and ended up helping Harrison with Margaret's. But still, how many 7 year old boys set out on a mission to help others when the snow is white and calling their names! Unfortunately I did not get any pictures, good grief, what kind of a scrapbooker am I!

Millie had fun playing in the snow while I shoveled our driveway. I know 4 inches isn't a lot and yes, it would have all melted by tomorrow I am sure, but our driveway doesn't get much sun this time of year, and when the rest of the neighborhood has thawed, ours will still be solid ice, so I shoveled!

After coming inside and everyone getting dry clothes on, I decided to take the kids to McDonald's to play before they drove me nuts, being cooped up inside. My mom went along with us for a change of scenery.

Enjoy the pictures!

The view from our back yard this morning, with the snow on the mountains

Millie's footprint in the first dusting of snow

Millie hangin' out, eating some snow

Elbert's huge foot print

Nana let Millie walk around with her ice cream while Mommy get a refill. It was so much fun and sticky, right down to the shoe lace!

Can you find the monkey's in the maze? They were all hiding from the camera except Millie, you can see her little head

Nicholas and Millie, enjoying some ice cream together

Farting dogs

2008-12-13T20:10:00.001-08:00

So, as many of you know, I have had Rudy, my three legged wonder mutt, longer than I have 'had' my husband. I got Rudy from the shelter about 3 months before I 'got' Tom from bachelor land. So, that said, in the 10 years + that Tom and I have known each other, there has always been at least one dog in the picture, almost always more. So, that said, it really is a known fact that if you change the dogs food, you always take a few days to mix it about 50/50 with there old food.

Well, I was at Costco Friday and decided to try something different. We still had about a weeks worth of their usual food, so what the heck, right? I poured the big bag of new food into the food container, tipping it first so all the old food was on one side, so it would be easier to mix the foods at meals. All was great last night, their first 'meal' with their new mixture. Tom fed the dogs both of their meals today, acknowledging the new food but deciding not to acknowledge the necessity of the change over period.

Now, needless to say, Elbert will be sleeping in the sun room, in his crate for the night. We'll be sure not to strike any matches near him because gas fumes are combustible!

Yet another birthday

2008-12-12T11:25:00.000-08:00

It is funny how as kids, a birthday is like the bestest day of the year! You look forward to it for 364 days, it is magical the actual day of your birthday and you really think the world just revolves around you! People make a big deal about it, decorate the house, shower you with a special breakfast, treats at school, a party, gifts, smiles and free passes when you are a stinker.

Then you grow up. Yesterday was my birthday. I officially have started the slippery slope toward the big Four-O. I turned 35, so it is all down hill from here? Nah, not really. I had a good day. I got up in the morning and went through my normal morning routine, then when I walked out of my bedroom to wake the kids up for school, Abby sat right up on bed and with her face beaming, she said "Mommy!!! Today is your birfday!" She was SO excited! We spent the day with her reminding me and checking in, to make sure it was still my 'birfday' and yep, it was all day! My coffee bean grinder stopped grinding, about 1/4 of the way through my morning dose of coffee, so I had to go with out caffeine all day! I was picking up our trashed house when my friend Laurie stopped in to wish me Happy Birthday and bring me the most scrumptious chocolate cake! I don't know if I'll ever be able to eat a cake from a box again! For most people I would have been horrified that they saw my house in the shape it was yesterday, but I know Laurie won't hold it against me!

Harrison was excited when I picked him up from school, he couldn't wait to find out what we had done all day long to celebrate my birfday. Tom came home and we went out to dinner. The Flying Star. Nothing over the top excited, but it was good food! Two of the kids got free meals since it was their "kids eat free on Thursday" and it is just a kid friendly restaurant. I had the NM enchiladas with chicken and green chili. Boy, that did wonders for the sinus crud we have all had lately! Nothing like a good dose of green chili to clear things out!

Then we came home and had the chocolate cake from Laurie and off to bed the kids went! I laid down with Millie to nurse her to sleep and fell asleep at about 9pm. I haven't done that in ages, must have been a sugar coma from the cake!

Where did that come from?

2008-12-08T15:22:00.000-08:00

I am a few days late in posting this, but all last week Millie had been just a grouch. She was bitter, and grouchy, not sleeping well, had awful poop thus an awful bottom. I noticed she was teething her incisors, which historically have been rough for the Lyman kids, then make it all four at once and I suddenly had my reason for such a miserable baby.

Fast forward to Wednesday night, Millie spiked a fever in the middle of the night, approx 2am to be exact. I head off giving her Tylenol because it makes her loopy, but when it was clear that she was only getting hotter and was not going back to sleep, I gave in and dosed her up. Then I listened to her play in the bedroom for the next 2 hours until she finally crawled back into bed and went back to sleep. Through out the day, the fever visited every four hours as the Tylenol wore off, then through the night again too.

My rule is that I will do about three sleepless nights before it is time to see Dr Crago. Well, two nights put us at Friday, which of course is a do or die day. If I don't take her in on Friday, then I either have to weather it all weekend, or end up at Urgent Care for hours on the weekend. Thankfully the doctor had an appointment and we hustled in to see her. I gave the symptoms, explained that I thought it was just the teeth but then she started say "Ouch" when she would nurse on her right side and would put her hand up to that side of her head. Viola! It's gotta be her ears! Nope, ears checked out fine. Then Dr checked in her mouth and we had our answer: Coxsackievirus, aka Hand-Foot-Mouth disease. I had noticed, earlier in the week, the rash on her thigh and belly but the spots on her hands flew under the radar until, of course, Dr looked at her hands!

Then it started: I talked to my mom and heard "Where did she get that? Have you been to a McDonalds playground lately? You don't go to MOPS anymore, couldn't be from there, what about the play place at the mall? You know, you don't use that Floppy Seat like you used to with Harrison." Then I talked to Tom "I wonder where she got that from" Four kids into the journey, I have given up the urge to analyze and disect activities to figure out exactly where each virus comes from. I mean, what's the point? Will it keep us from ever visiting a McDonald's again? Unfortunately no. Will it keep me from ever putting her in a grocery cart again? No. Will we feel better about them being sick if we know right where they picked it up? Probably not. Just too much energy to try to trace footsteps of the week or two before symptoms to try to see exactly where it came from. With three other kids in school, it could have come home on one of them!

The Little Things

2008-12-03T15:29:00.000-08:00

Sometime I get so caught up in the big picture that I really don't see the little things in the day hustle of having four kids. So, I have been paying attention today so I just wanted to share a few that I paused to notice, mainly because I was trying to rush someone along and they made me wait, because they were caught up in a little thing.

This morning Abby was taking a shower, around 10am, for some reason. I had gone in a few times to check on her and she was just about ready to get out but was looking at the soap bubbles on the shower door. My "hurry up" mode was to just get in, get out and be done, but we waited, looking at the bubbles. To me, they were bubbles that would then dry there and have to be cleaned off later, to Abby it was a road runner that morphed into a quail, with a poofy cloud over it and a flower beside it.

Rudy barks, all the time. We have a kids book called "Why Benny Barks" and it sums up Rudy. No one knows why Rudy barks, perhaps because the sky is blue? Who knows. Most of the time it is horribly annoying. We can't put him outside for any amount of time beyond a potty break, because he barks. We bring him inside and he barks out the front door, barks at the cats, barks at the other dogs. We put him back in our bedroom when the kids are eating something or whatever, and he barks. Lately he hasn't been feeling well though. He has cancer and it is catching up with him. I have had him for almost 11 years now, longer than I have had Tom ;) So, even though his barking often is the straw that breaks this camels back, Rudy's barking is a reminder that he is here still.

Today Harrison had a half day of school, so he is off in the afternoon while the twins are in preschool. Sometimes we go do something fun, today we just came home for the few hours. I can't even count the number of times I heard "I'm bored..." "Can I...." "Will you...." "Can we..." Although it was, and is, annoying, it means he is still little enough to think Mommy is cool and Mommy is fun to do things with. He still wants me to peel his orange, check his homework, explain his book report and scratch his back.

Millie has horrible 'fire butt' from her 'stealth poops' that l ive up to their name: the poops that you just don't notice immediately because they are low and not stinky, but they are so acidic her butt just gets eaten up! We have learned over the course of four kids, that these are almost always related to teething. Sure enough, today as she layed on the diaper changer, before I decided to just put her in the tub instead of torture her with the wipes, I noticed all four incisors are coming in at the same time, One has broken through, the others are right there. The little thing? She is still my little thing! She is still the baby, still in diapers and still needs Mommy! Nursing makes the pain all better, or atleast makes her not so all alone in it. Although at times I feel sad that we will never have another 'baby' in the house, Millie will never get to adore a baby sibling as hers adore her, she is still little enough to have a diaper rash!

Nick, the goofball. He is trying very hard to hide behind Abby in his big adventure of preschool, yet trying hard to step out and be his own little man. Today on the way home, I asked *Nick* about one thing he did at school today, so naturally Abigail jumps in and starts with her story of what *they* did. I had to shush her for a second so I could get Nicks side of the story. He jumped right in and said "Abby, Mommy said NICK! It is my turn to tell about MY day!" Although yes, that is rude and we shouldn't talk to others like that, Nick is normally so content to be in the shadows and fly under the radar! It made my heart happy to hear him speak up!

Ok, there you go, a "little thing" from each of the kids who hold on to my heart each day!

Day of Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T08:20:00.000-08:00

I am sure there will be a million blog posts today, all about what we are thankful for, the bounty in our lives, the food we will eat later etc. So, in the spirit of conformity, I decided to do the same. I pulled each of our family members into the room, one by one, and asked them all the same question: If you could tell God "Thank you" for something in your life, what would it be?" This question of course is a bit harder for the twins to grasp, but they still did pretty well with it. I know for Tom and I, this year will have some very basic necessities on the list as there are so many families who are having to find their way this year, with out the certainty of the necessities.

Harrison was the first to visit for his interview. He answered this same question Tuesday at school, I will have to save his answer so his brother and sisters some day can give him a hard time that the family dogs were listed first while they were at the bottom, maybe it had been one of those mornings? Harrison said this morning he is thankful for "My family, my toys, my food, school and my friends" Really, in the grand scheme, those are all necessities and basics of living for a 7 year old boy!

Nick had a very quick answer, which was totally a Nick answer: Noodles, just noodles (or, as Nick would say: Noonas, just noonas"

Abby was a little embarrassed and put on the spot: "I am thankful for my pets, Nana, Grandma Kay and our whole family, all our cousins and friends and "stuff."

Millie has a very limited vocabulary this year, but I know those wheels are turning more than we would ever know right now. I could tell she wanted to spout off some profound speech about all the blessings in her life, instead she tried to climb up my shirt to nurse, so, I think it is safe to say that Millie is thankful for the boob.

Tom: "I am thankful for my family and for the angels among us."

So, in closing, I would like to say that I am thankful for the fact that we made it to another Thanksgiving, healthy, blessed and content with all God has given us. It is easy to look around and see people who have more, who have a bigger house, drive a nice car, have more wiggle room in their budgets, but they have their own struggles, ones we may never know and ones we may never want! I am thankful for the opportunity I have to stay home on a daily basis and be the Mom to my kids that I want to be. I am thankful that I am the one who is there when the get out of school, wake up from a nap, spill their milk at lunch, scrape their knee while playing at the park or just need a hug. I am thankful for my husband, who is willing to make the sacrifices necessary to make that dream happen for me, and our family. I am thankful for my mom: she lives right across the street and plays a daily role in the kids lives. I am thankful that despite her health, she is still here with us. Thank you Lord for the time we have with her, it is truly a blessing and one we probably take for granted too often. I am thankful for our 'necessities' and the fact that we have a roof over our head, we have cars we can rely on to get us where we need to be, for food in our pantry and freezer, clean running water that we can drink or bathe in, and the safety and security that our country offers. I am thankful for our pets, although they do drive all of us nuts sometimes, I think our children will grow up to be better adults, more compassionate and whole for having the opportunity to share their childhoods with the dogs and cats, someone to snuggle up to when they are in time out, someone to play ball with them when no one else wants to go outside and play, someone to teach them about forgiveness when they snatch the last cookie out of their unsuspecting hands.

The list goes on, and on. Right now I need to practice my thankfulness and go be thankful for the shower and for my roaster oven, in other words, I need to take a shower and cook the turkey!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, maybe your bellies be full and your hearts be warm!

Some early Christmas Cheer

2008-11-22T19:44:00.000-08:00

Each year Tom's company buys all the makings for 300 boxes for the Operation Christmas Child program and then on a Saturday morning, invites employees and their families to help assemble and stuff the boxes. We decided it would be a great way for the kids to get in the spirit of Christmas and remind them, early in the season, that it isn't all about them and it certainly is not all about gifts they receive. The three older kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves and worked very hard to stuff the boxes and get them ready for their journey. I over heard Abigail having a discussion with one of the teddy bears, telling him that someone far away was going to love him! One aspect of Tom's company that I really like is their generosity and also the openness of the faith of the owner of the company. There aren't too many companies where you could attend an event like this and be able to open in prayer and not worry about who was going to be offended.

Harrison, Abigail,Nicholas and Millie, standing by all the boxes of shoe boxes that every one packed today

Nick packing one of the boxes, he really enjoyed himself!

Abigail inspecting some of the candy options that some little girl would be enjoying far away!

Harrison packing one of the boxes, he was a packing machine!

After leaving Summit, we attended the first annual Parade of Trees to benefit the Carrie Tingley Children's Hospital. It is a free event to the public, and the kids really enjoyed seeing all the different trees and the themes that people used to decorate them. Harrison's favorite was the "money tree", gee, can't deny he is Tom's son, a young Alex P Keaton in the making! Santa made the rounds, handing out candy canes.

My mom had a four page grocery list for her employer, so after we were done with "family time" Tom dropped me off at the store where I met up with Mom and helped her find all the things on the list, only after we went to lunch though! A nice, quiet lunch at Applebee's, with out any kids! Mom's employers are very generous and one of the errands Mom had to run for them today was to go to Keller's and buy a turkey for each of the ladies who helps take care of her patient. Move over Butterball, we get the free range organic Turkey Lurkey this year :)

Do you believe in Fairies?

2008-11-20T19:15:00.000-08:00

I grew up believing in the tooth fairy, my kids now believe in the tooth fairy. When I was a nanny in Boston, we went on vacation to Monhegan Island off the coast of Maine and visited Cathedral Woods and built woodland fairy houses. They were adorable and imaginative and just really cool. The rule was you had to use all 'naturally occurring' items: sea shells, twigs, leaves, rocks, sea glass etc. Fairies like that and that is who/what they are. The kids and I had fun building them, making walk ways out of stones, fences out of twigs etc. The hike through the woods was also amazing because people really went all out in trying to find the perfect location to build their home. Of course the logical side of any adult makes you roll your eyes and think 'pshaw!' But, there is always that part that makes you wonder... "What if...." Enjoy the very grainy pictures, taken in July '93, then read below for where I am going with this!

So, lately I have been wondering if perhaps there is a Laundry Fairy, or a troop of them, that sneaks in and magically does your laundry. I decided to put my wonder to the test and held off doing laundry for a week. Last Wednesday night I had the laundry completely caught up and we could actually see the laundry room floor and the kids got to enjoy one of their favorite things: coloring on the concrete laundry room floor with chalk, always great fun! Thursday and Friday I actually felt like I needed to seek out laundry just to justify doing a load for the day. Well, Friday I did the last load. By Tuesday of this week, Tom had asked me if I could please do a load of work clothes, which I needed to toss in some jeans for Harrison because he currently does not like to wear anything other than jeans to school. That same day I also did two loads of kids bedding because we had two wet beds in one morning. Tonight I am needing to do laundry for myself as well as everyone else! The drawers are getting empty! In case you ever wondered just how much laundry a family of six can generate in a week, minus a few loads:

Millie's Zoo

2008-11-17T13:01:00.000-08:00

Millie has reached the age where she really loves her pets and loves interacting with them, and being fascinated by their goofy antics, anticipating their next move etc. I think it is funny how all of our kids have learned very quickly that if you have food in your hand, the dogs will take it, so you have to keep it out of their reach. So, the logical way to do that when you are 3 ft tall? Hold it over your head. Millie will walk into a room with her cracker in hand, yell at the dogs to announce she has something they will want "Eh!" (said in her authoritative stern voice) and then promptly hold it up on her head.

Rudy loves all of his kids, but in his old age he has adopted the "I'm old and entitled" attitude that we watched Yeller adopt when he got old and moldy. Rudy will now not only try to take the food, but will get the entire hand in his mouth and hold it there until the angry crying child submisses and lets go, about the same time the Mama Bear flies across the room to intervene and throw him outside for a while!

Corsi is an opportunist, always has been and always will be. She will wait for someone to get out of their seat and then jump into it, because it is pre-warmed. She waits for the kids to go to bed so she can go snuggle with one, then the next, then the next. She waits for Millie to let her guard down and take the replacement cookie off of her head (remember, Rudy took the first one) then she will globber on it with her nasty huge tongue and take it, but quickly get back into her sloth like state before anyone knows why the baby is crying.

Elbert is still in his "I am a lab and need to please" mode and is pretty polite and will usually wait until Millie sticks the cracker in his face before he'll take it. Of course she isn't sticking it in his face to offer it to him, it is more of the "lookey what I have, and you don't!" stick, but tell that to a lab and his never full stomach!

Last night she climbed onto a kitchen chair that the kids had parked in the 'big kids room' and enjoyed watching Toto the Turtle eat his food. She was fascinated and would yell "Hey!" each time he opened wide to take a bite. He isn't a typical turtle and isn't shy, in fact it seems as though he quite likes the audience the kids provide!

She adored Putter when he was with us briefly. She seemed to love the idea of having something that was small and fun, just like her! Too bad Mommy didn't adore cleaning up after him, see ya Putter!

SO, she is a little Dr Doolittle in training, just like her Mom!"Hey Rudy, what'cha dreamin' about? I can hang my head off too, see!" "You gonna eat that tomato Toto?"

Millie and Putter (former foster dog) watching the big kids play outside

Millie and Elbert, snoozing

"Is that food in your hand for me? Huh? Is it? Huh?"

Bathtub Assembly Line

2008-11-13T16:58:00.001-08:00

Perhaps that sounds like a place that assembles bath tubs.. one makes the huge tub, the next cuts the holes for the drain/faucet etc, polish and shine etc...

For those of you who have more than one or two kids, it has an entirely different meaning, much like it does at our house!

Tonight: dinner goes in the oven, set time for 30 minutes. Run down the hall, start filling tub, undress #4 and plop her in. The other kids have now heard the water and are stripping in the hallway. #1 jumps in, with #4, #2 and #3 are queued up in the hall. #1 gets scrubbed, hair washed, rinsed, out to dry off, pj's, mean time, #3 jumps in, same as #1, # 3 gets out, #4 jumps in, same as #1 except he gets soap in his eyes for not waiting for me to start the faucet to rinse his hair. Out with #3, scrub/rinse #4 while the water goes out, rinse tub, rinse #4, out with #4, diaper, diaper cream for blazing red butt (from what????) pj's, done! Run down the hall, 9 minutes left on dinner time!

It is a science people, only the experienced and determined can ever perfect it!

Because some nights I just don't want to do it this way:

The Booger Dilema

2008-11-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year that all mother's have to ask: Do I send them or keep them home? We have all had a cold for over a week now but it seems to be at the end, when everyone is just drippy and coughing. I kept the twins home from preschool Monday, not as much for the cold as the kids had locked my keys in my car so I took the opportunity to be lazy all day and stay home! So, then today they both have running noses and Nick's is a pleasant shade of green. So, do I send them or keep them home? They are otherwise fine, definitely could benefit from three structured hours of play and learning, or perhaps I can benefit from their three hours of structured play and learning!

I think all Mom's have that fear of being "The mom who sends kids with boogers" and makes the entire class sick. But, I think all Mom's also have that desire to accidentally not see the boogers and naively send them anyway!

The Pros: If I send them, I get three hours of them at school. They burn off some energy. They come home fully enlightened and brilliant and stimulated (ok, exaggeration!) All the other kids probably have the same cold, so what's the difference? If I keep them home, I would save gas from the trips to and from preschool. If I send them, I'll be able to go to the grocery with just Harrison and Millie.

The Cons: All the other kids might be healthy and have good mom's who don't send them sick, and my kids will make all of them sick. Harrison has a half day, so I won't have time to myself anyway, so sending them with boogers won't really win me any time in the end. I will become the Mom who is scowled at after Nick sneezes and has big boogers shoot out his nose, right as the kids are all walking into class, so ALL the other parents see him! Fighting: if we skip, then that is three extra hours for the kids to fight all afternoon and drive me nuts!

What to do, what to do!

A History of Nick's Head

2008-11-06T20:04:00.000-08:00

Poor Nicholas. He has always had a huge head, it has always been in the 95th percentile, usually over 100%. He sat up later than most of his peers which we always attributed to his head being so big, same with crawling and most other early gross motor skills.

He has two spots on his forehead that are probably permanant scars, from always hitting it in the same spot. He and Abby were wrestling once and she body slammed him into the wall and something that was hanging on the wall fell off and hit his forehead, four stitches and three hours in the ER later....He has bashed it when falling from his scooter, while runnign in the house and falling against something etc. His head really just seems too big for his body, it throws off his balance and just pulls him around. I am having a bad Mom moment, I cannot find any pictures on the computer of the stitches! Good thing I have already scrapbooked it!

Well, tonight it happened again. He was spinning in circles in the living room, he and Millie, I was in the kitchen cooking and Tom was off doing something. I heard this gynormous thud and waited, as Mom's know to do, but it actually took a few seconds for the crying to start. He was spinning and spinning and lost his balance in a dizzy stagger, and whacked his head into the wall. I probably wouldn't have thought much of it, except as I sat on the couch comforting him, I noticed that he left a DENT in the wall! It was one of those moments as parents where you know you just cannot laugh, but you just can't help it! No, Nick did not know we were laughing at him, his head was burried in my shoulder, trying to get over the embarrassment! The poor thing!

Icing the head after one of the many injuries

This one, the injury was not in the usual spot, but it still counts! Even better, we had their 18 month pictures the next day!

The damage to the wall from tonight's incident! Ouch!

Dog Park

2008-11-02T19:32:00.000-08:00

OK, I know some of you have had to hear me ramble about the dog park, which really just says I need to get a life. So, let me explain: Elbert is a great dog, his downfalls are a) he is huge b) he is a young lab. I had quit taking him on a weekly romp at the dog park because we had Putter for a while, Putter was a wonderful way to control and direct Elbert's extra energy, unfortunately that didn't count enough in my book after cleaning up the presents left on the floor from him. So, now that Putter is gone, I have been trying to take Elbert to the dog park on Sunday afternoons. It is kind of nice because Tom is home to watch the kids, so I get out of the house and get some quiet time in which I am not rushing through the grocery, or doing something else 'house' related.

The dog park normally is a rewarding experience. Elbert gets to run and run and play and I get either some quiet time or some adult conversation, depending if there are other dogs there or not. Normally the people are all dog people, most are considered "regulars" and "know" each other from the dog park. Occasionally you get Joe Idiot who decides to bring their dog and that is when it gets annoying and sometimes just plain dangerous.

This afternoon Elbert and I pulled up around 3pm and there was no one else there. So, I just got out, made myself comfy with a magazine at a picnic table and let Elbert do this thing. After a while, a few "regulars" started to straggle in which was nice, gave Elbert someone to play with and burn off some energy. Most of the "regulars" know that the dogs humping is just something they do to work things out, their barking and growling at first is just their way of saying "I am in charge here, we can play but know that I am better than you" and then they run and play and have fun. Elbert is always a sissy and very submissive so I never have to worry about him. Then, after a while, in walks a family with three kids and a clearly unsocialized dog. My kids know, if on the rare occasion they go with me to the dog park, that it is a DOG park and if there are dogs other than Elbert, they are to sit on the picnic table and just be bored, they don't interact with the other dogs, they don't run and play with them or with Elbert and it is boring, so they don't like to go. Everyone also knows when you go to the dog park, you take your dog off leash before entering the second gate, because if the dog is connected to you by leash, that tells the dog that they are to protect you and guard you and be "on duty" and it causes resource guarding. So, this family walks in with a gomer of a boy, about 12 years old, a girl about 10 and then a little one about 2 1/2 who, coincidentally, was afraid of dogs. They leave their dog on the leash and then get all freaked out when she growled at Elbert when he said "hi" and sniffed her butt. This went on as each of the dogs approached to introduce themselves to their dog, and the little girl freaked out when a husky jumped up on the table to say hi. So, then the gomer of a boy decided he was going to "walk" his dog around the parameters of the dog park, on leash, to get her away from the other dogs. Dog people who are reading this, know what a brilliant idea this is. As he is walking, the dog stops to growl at other dogs, because as she sees it, she is protecting her kid. Finally one of the "regulars", tells the family/kid that the dog needs to be taken off the leash or she is going to cause a fight, points to the rule board where it states that all dogs are to be off leash.

Elbert and I finally left. It was just getting ridiculous. If you are going to take your dog to the dog park, let her be a dog! You wouldn't take your kid to the kid park and make them sit on your lap the whole time?

Harrison Brian Lyman

2008-10-31T10:21:00.000-07:00

Last week, Friday, Harrison brought home a note that he had been chosen to be the Star Student for the class. We had to make a poster all about Harrison: his family, things he likes to do, etc. He and I worked on it together over the weekend and had fun, and made a pretty good poster! He took it to school Monday and it has been on display all week in his classroom.

Yesterday was Parent/Teacher conference day for Harrison. Of course she pretty much old us everything we already knew, that he is a bright wonderful little boy! He is doing well in all subjects at school and is also one of only two honor roll students in the class! She talked about what a wonderful boy he is, how helpful he is with the other students, he is a good friend, kind and courteous, and bright. She also mentioned that she is going to be recommending that he be tested for the gifted program, testing in the spring for the program starting in the fall.

Needless to say, Tom and I couldn't be prouder! He is such a good boy and we are truely blessed to have him in our lives!

Thanks Harrison for making Mommy smile! I love you!

Roasted pumpkin seeds

2008-10-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

So, everyone, what is your favorite way to roast pumpkin seeds? Leave a comment and let me know, we are always needing new ideas! Last year (or the year before?) Tom wanted me to roast them with some cinnamon and sugar, not too good! I think it was his plan to get to eat all of the seeds himself (insert his maniacal laugh here) This year, as usual, I just baked them at about 425 and sprinkled them with some Lawry's season salt. Yum!

Preschool Halloween Day

2008-10-29T20:47:00.001-07:00

So, even though the twins attend a preschool that is through Parks and Rec, I guess there is a bit more freedom in what they observe, compared to the public schools, and today the kids had their Halloween party and then went on parade at the neighboring nursing home. Harrison had a half day since it is Wednesday and they were very welcoming to siblings, so Harrison and Millie got to participate in all of the events of the day (and Mommy too!)

We started out having play time at school, then a potluck lunch for everyone. A couple parents stayed for the festivities, most of the kids were in costume. My boys decided they did not want to be in costume, but I brought Nicks just in case he changed his mind, which he did later. Harrison also did later but I had not brought his costume, so he was out of luck, or so I thought. Seeing as we were in a preschool room, there was plenty of dress up items in the room so he got to borrow the police uniform for our parade to the nursing home.

The home is immediately next door, so we just walked over. It was really nice to see the residents light up when all the kids walked up to them. Nicholas became Mr Social and loved walking into rooms and saying "Happy Halloween" which was a total surprise to me! Abby was more apt to stay in the group of kids and do as they did. She did get pulled aside by one resident and hugged for a few minutes while the resident talked to her. Abby did very well and was fine with it. All in all the kids did very well!

A few pictures, I am just putting the ones in that mainly contain my kids as I don't want to post pictures of other peoples kiddos with out their permission!

We just have the Harvest Party for Harrison's class on Friday and then trick or treating, then we are officially DONE!

Dr Abby, reading the New England Journal of Medicine, board book edition

Nick, hanging out before going into the nursing home

Policeman Harrison, keeping track of all the kiddos on the walk to the home

Abigail having a chat with one of the residents and getting a hug from her

below: Millie doing smooshy face on the glass of the aviary in the nursing home

Carving Pumpkins Mommy's Way

2008-10-28T18:48:00.000-07:00

Well, as you might have already read, we grabbed our pumpkins for the year this past weekend, at the patch. So, the much anticipated carving had to happen before Friday, right? Tom has been dreading it, I don't really mind it, and the kids have been beside themselves, wondering when it would happen! Abby had the great idea that they could all wear their pumpkin shirts again

"I know, we tould all wear our Pumptin shirts and look Halloweeny!"

This afternoon we got home from school at 3:20, Harrison did his homework right away and was outside playing by 3:30. I called Tom to see if he wanted to participate in the annual carving or if I could go ahead and get started with out him. See, Tom dreads the carving. It brings out the best of his Type A personality. He gets all uptight, his face turns red, he starts to sweat as he takes the spoon and attempts to get the inside of the pumpkin clean enough to pass the white glove test. Usually be the time the first pumpkin is clean, the kids are crying and so over it, Tom is so frustrated he is bugged with everyone and at this point, it is just no fun for anyone. It only gets worse once the ruler comes out to draw the faces and then the total perfection begins.

I was hoping he would say to go ahead and start, and he did, I think I actually heard him jumping up and down in his cubicle at work! We had four pumpkins cleaned and carved in under an hour, not bad considering I had four kids helping me!

The lesson of the night: four kids are happy with pumpkins carved, they don't notice if the eyes are not perfectly even, if the candle is a bit off center in the middle, or if there is a spot near the face because the pumpkins were all attacked in hail storm. Chill out, relax and have fun with it! Soon enough they won't want to carve pumpkins because it won't be cool!

'Twas the weekend before Halloween...(loooong)

2008-10-26T10:44:00.000-07:00

Friday night was our first ever Harvest Festival at Harrison's school! I attended many of these (too many?) at Corrales Elem when I was a nanny, taking my charges, doing cake walks, anxiously wanting to go back and be "off duty" for the night. I grew to dread these each year! I have to admit though, as a parent, the event was different. It was one of the two nights a year that Tom has to work until about midnight, doing inventory, so I took the kids by myself. They had fun 'games' at different parts of the campus, pizza, cotton candy, face painting (stitches, scars, black eyes, gauze bandage etc at the Hawk Hospital) The kids all had a good time! I expected to get there and be done in about an hour, but over 2 hours later, I was having to bribe the kids to leave peacefully!

Pirate Harrison, Fireman Nick and Dr Abby (Millie wouldn't join the picture)

Bumble Bee Millie finally joined in the on picture taking!
Harrison doing the ring toss

Spooky story time in the newly remodeled library.

Mrs Estala (Harrison's teacher) doing the Haunted Hula

Yesterday we decided to have a family day and go to the pumpkin patch. Typically this means our annual trek over the river and through the woods, to the east mountains to McCalls. However, this year a little birdy told me about a great one in Albuquerque that has fun things for the kids and all of the money benefits a great cause! So, my arm was twisted.

We took the kids to the Galluping Grace Pumpkin Patch,(http://www.gallopinggraceyouthranch.blogspot.com/) located in Albuquerque. The kids all had so much fun and it only took about 20 minutes to get there, instead of the 1 1/2 hour minimum to get to Moriarty to go to McCalls. Millie and Nick loved the corn box, Harrison had fun in the hay bale maze, Abby has been asking for months now about when she will get to ride a horse, so that need was also met! The people were all so great and Tom's favorite part, all you pay for is the price of the pumpkin! When it was all said and done, a trip to Sweet Tomatoes was required :)

I tried to get a picture of all four kids, but Nick was having a moment, so 3/4 of the kids isn't bad, right?

Abigail after reaching the end of the Hay Maze, isn't she cute!?

Must be the Cornhusker in the genes, all of the kids loved the corn pit!

Cowboy Harrison roped this cow so well it's head fell off!

Abby riding the horse, she LOVED it!

Nick riding Blacky

Yes Millie, you can even nurse at the pumpkin patch!

Millie was too little to ride the horses, but she did great riding the steer

Mothering

2008-10-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I attended a memorial service for my dear friend's mother. Although I had never met her, I think they captured her personality perfectly in the type of memorial they chose to have. I was thinking on the drive home how perfect it had been, given the circumstances, and I am sure Laurie's mom would have been honored and pleased with their choices. So many memorials are about the formalities, the mourning and the mourners but this one was different. It was outside in a beautiful park, in the fall colors, the air was crisp and fresh and the message was simple and pure. Yes, people were mourning the loss of their dear friend, mother, aunt, cousin,neighbor etc, but you could feel that it was more about honoring her and celebrating the new life she has now.

Even though I have never met Lauries' mom, it has really hit home because I know my mom's time is inevitable. Her health is far from good, she works too much, does things her doctors have told her not to, is stubborn and holds on to negativity like no one else I have ever met!

Laurie's mom's death was unexpected, which is a reminder to me that even though my mom drives me nuts some times, I need to let it go and embrace my time with her. I need to let my kids be with her as much as she can stand and let the little things go. Since at least last year, Harrison has been going to Nana's after school on Tuesdays and that is his time with her. He is on the only one of the four that gets that 1:1 time with her and I know he enjoys it. The last couple weeks have been frustrating because she keeps him pretty much until bedtime, so he comes home and is wound up, needing to do homework and read and jump right into bed and go to sleep. Tom and I decided that we will just need to cut out the Tuesdays because it is too much. But, yesterday on my drive home, I had to re-evaluate and really ask, is it THAT big of a deal? When my mom's time does come, is it more important that Harrison was home and in bed by 8pm or that he has the fond memories of eating Nana's chicken noodle soup that she made just for him, memories of helping her plant her bushes in the back yard, running errands with her and stopping along the way to get a Blizzard, even though he just had a slushy when they stopped at Sam's and the candy bar before that, which she always has in her purse for right when he gets in the car at school? It is one night a week, is it really that big of a deal?

I think as daughters, we never fully grasp the importance of our Mother, until we ourselves become a mother. It is then and only then that we realize the sacrifice she has made of her time, energy, life and heart. She may not have mothered us the way we want to mother our own children, she may not be the person we want to be when we are 65, but all of that has a level of transparency because she is our Mother, the only one we get.

When my mom's time does come, I will miss her more than I will ever know at this point. I will not only miss her for me, but for my kids. However, since having moved her to NM and recently moved her across the street from us, I am sure of one thing: my regrets will be few. I am glad that we are close enough now that I know my mom as a person and friend in addition to knowing her as my mom. I am glad that we spend enough time together that I can be grouchy one day and it isn't a big deal because the next morning, she is the one I call when I am leaving the house to go to the grocery, to see if she wants anything or wants to go along. Having her so close, I don't have to be perfect or make sure every moment I am with her is quality and positive, because we have quantity on our side right now. I know she is the one I can call when she is out running around and ask her to bring home decon because I saw a mouse hiding under the fridge in the sun room this morning, but then we can laugh when I call her back, right as she is picking it out at the store, and tell her never mind because Elbert got tired of waiting for her and caught the mouse himself (I can just see the mouse dancing a jig to tease Elbert when he was in his crate and couldn't catch him!)

So, the important lesson I learned yesterday is to remember every day to say "I love you Mom" because it might be the last time I get to say it to her face, but also to be grateful that I am close enough to her to say it to her face daily. Laurie, may your heart heal in time and Susie, maybe your days be brighter now with your four wriggly pugs sitting on your lap where they belong, thank you for this lesson!

We interrupt this program...

2008-10-13T18:25:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday we went to Santa Fe to visit our dear friend Beth. We had a wonderful day and the kids are still talking fondly of it, and asking when we will get to go back! When we were leaving, Beth gave me two kitchen trash bags full of clothes from her boys, to pass to a mutual friend of ours. I live about 20 minutes from our friend, I am in that areal regularly, so no problem at all! Well, I have yet to make it over there, so the two bags are still in my car.

Today we went to Walmart to get Millie some Tylenol and being the wonderful Mommy that I am, I indulged the kids with slushies from McDonalds. So, on the way home Harrison announced that he spilled his slushie, my first feeling is total annoyance of yet another colored/sticky stain on the floor of our car. Then he announces "Don't worry Mom, it isn't on the floor" "Um, ok" dare I ask where it landed? "It spilled into these two bags of clothes and soaked all of it up!"

So, we interrupt this regularly scheduled laundry program to bring you two loads of laundry that will then be driving directly to Aidan before it needs to be washed, again!

Puddles of Life

2008-10-12T14:59:00.000-07:00

I just logged in, with intentions of blogging about whatever, I hadn't decided yet. I am grouchy today so I am sure it would be nothing that anyone would want to read. Then I looked at my friend's blog (The Morris Family on my following list) and it helped put things in perspective. My husband's job is nothing life threatening, beyond his high blood pressure that he is too darn stubborn to see a doctor for, so unlike her, that isn't a huge concern for me. When Harrison was Millie's age, we used to have the lazy mornings in bed, giggling, waiting for the dogs to make the first move to get up. We had a Sunday ritual that had nothing to do with church, instead we would drive anywhere in the city to a new park and have a Sunday Park Day, maybe grab some lunch along the way and play. It was all about Harrison and all about family. Somewhere along the way we have lost that. Now from the time the first kid is out of bed, it is just a fast pace to get this done and that done and at the end of the day, there is usually nothing to show for it except grumpy kids fighting sleep and grumpy parents wishing the kids would go to bed. But why? Is that what I want them to look back on when they are savoring their moments with their own kids? I was thinking the other day on our drive back from Santa Fe about what a great day we had, the kids all were pretty well behaved, not that I worry that much about that with Beth because she just isn't the type of friend that makes me feel like my kids have to be angels, she is realistic, and that is why we love her. But, on the drive home I was looking back at my own childhood and I don't have that many memories of time spent with my parents. I don't remember the conversations, the routines, the rituals. That is so far from what I want my kids to say when they are my age, with their own kids. I don't want them to remember me being a grouch, but I don't mind the remembering having boundaries and being upset when they weren't allowed to go too far outside of them. I want them to remember laughter, jokes, hugs and kisses, support and warmth, times of being wanted and times of wanting more of it. Home should be a safety net, where you can be grumpy if you are tired or have a bad day, it should be a place you want your friends to come play and know they are welcome.

I think part of why I am frustrated on the weekends is because as a SAHM, weekends are just the same as weekdays, just more people to cater to. On a week day, for the bulk of the day I just have the twins and Millie around while Harrison is at school and Tom is at work. On weekends, everyone is here. It is Tom's weekend away from work, so he should get to veg and do nothing, but in a house of six people, not everyone can do nothing or the house takes over and consumes you! I feel like I am the one who is picking up, cleaning, going about the same old stuff that I do every single day. I sat down this afternoon and watch Biggest Loser and couldn't remember the last time I had sat down for 45 minutes in the middle of the day, with out getting up or being interupted, for the most part. But then I get grouchy when Tom sits and vegs, I feel like why should he if I can't, but it isn't like he is saying I can't, it is me saying that. But, I also know, if I don't keep up, then I pay for it on Monday when I have a weekends worth of dishes, laundry, picking up etc to do all at once. Tom was proud of his big accomplishment yesterday of doing the dishes, atleast the ones that would fit in the dishwasher, the pots and pans all still sat on the counter, waiting for the dish fairy to wash them. I have to ask myself though, why isn't that ok with me? If I could lighten up then I could enjoy these fleeting moments with the kids. I could laugh at the stories they dream up, laugh at them playing with the dog, and be excited for the big mess of forts in the livign room, even though I know they can't fold up the Playhuts by themselves. They have their entire lives to be responsible and mature, for Pete's Sake, they are just kids!

I can make excuses for my grumpy days: I have had pms for 3 weeks now with no period (I had my tubes tied, I am NOT pregnant!) I crossed the year mark of refills on my post partum depression Zoloft and decided to stop taking it because I didn't want to be hassled by going back to the midwife to get refills, clearly that wasn't the right choice :)

So, this week, I am making an effort to be more positive, to embrace my kids more and just deal with the rest! Let them dance in the puddles and have fun because when they are 34 and dancing in the puddles someone might wonder :)

Where does the time go?

2008-10-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted in a while, I have been super busy although I can't really tell you what I have been doing! The laundry is out of control, the kitchen floor is disgusting, I just did about two days worth of dishes (finished at 10:20) and our day today was just about as chaotic as you can get.

Harrison is on "Fall Break" the last three days of this week. I think it is kind of silly but who am I? Perhaps I think it is silly for selfish reasons. I should adore every moment I get with him because some day he will be asking for the car keys and running off with his friends, calling and asking if he can spend the night with them since he doesn't have school because of fall break. I know, I know. I should cherish his smiles and embrace the whines because some day he won't want to talk to me because I am "just Mom" but, today I wasn't having one of those days. He started picking on the twins as soon as he rolled out of bed, started causing tears, fights and getting them in trouble. Tomorrow will be a better day!

Harrison had a dentist appointment today. The poor kid lost a filling about six weeks ago. At the time, he had his six month cleaning scheduled for two weeks after we noticed it was gone, so they said he should be alright. Well, then they called to say the Dr wasn't going to be in that Friday and we had to reschedule, so it took another two weeks to get back in, then we saw him but had to wait another two weeks to get back in for the filling/cap. So, that brings us to today; appx six weeks after the darn thing fell off. I talked with Harrison in the waiting room and asked him, if Millie got restless, if I could bring her to the waiting room while they did his things, so she wouldn't be screaming etc. At first he said yes, then he changed his mind and said no. Undertandable, I don't know if I could have left him anyway! We were in the "quiet room" so it isn't like anyone outside the closed door could have heard her anyway...We decided to go ahead with the sealants on his molars. He had a new cavity as well as the one needing to be replaced, so we decided sealants would be a good plan. Tom's teeth are prone to issues so perhaps Harrison has inherited that from him. The hygenists painted his teeth and then it was time for Dr Sean to come in and do the fillings. Well, he took one look and said the one was absessed and it would need to just come out. Poor Harrison! He struggled to look up at me, white as a ghost!

About a few days before we noticed the missing filling, Tom was in the process of having a root canal or two done. He, of course, was miserable and suffering greatly, as his Masculin Book of Rights spells out in Chapter 42, paragraph 4, line 17. So, at one point when Harrison asked him for the 900th time how and why and when and where and who, Tom snapped, as we all do, and said "This is why you brush your teeth, because it hurts A LOT to get this type of stuff done!" Ladies, you will be proud of me, at no time during Tom's tooth episode did I roll my eyes or downplay his pain, at no time did I play the "Twins, 38 weeks, 7.4 and 6.5" card! I was very compassionate, very Florence Nightengale.

Ok, back to Harrison in the chair: I immediately had to switch out of my "magazine reading" mode and assure him he would be given medicine, he wouldn't feel a thing, and the tooth fairy pays out big for absesses!

He was so brave! Dr Sean did the injection and left the room for it to take affect. Harrison and I talked about what was going to happen and that he would feel some tugging but no pain. When they came back in, he just layed right back and let them do their thing! I think I cringed more at the sight of the Dr woggling the tooth back and forth to get it to loosen up and come out!

He got a cool little treasure chest for safe keeping of the tooth. They then fit him with a spacer and sent us on our way.

Tonight at bed time, I was tucking him in and telling him how proud I was of him, how incredibly brave he was! I told him all about how some other kids are not like that at all and I bet he was Dr Sean's best patient today! He looked up at me and said the thing all Mom's *need* to hear sometimes..."But Mommy, I couldn't have been so brave if you hadn't been there with me"

Need I say more

My Very Own Punky Brewster

2008-10-04T20:47:00.000-07:00

We have friends who have girly girls. We have friends who have tom boys. We fall in the middle of that spectrum. Abby is stuck someplace in the middle, wanting to be have painted nails occassional pretty things, but also can't resist a mud puddle or anything gross. She never thinks twice about picking up a bug or lizard and then letting it crawl on her head once she does catch one.

Today I had some errands to run when Tom got home, so I decided to just bring Abby along with me. Of our four kids, I think she is most often the one who is under my skin for one thing or another. She has a great sense of humor and has this amazing inability to focus on anything. She gets insanely jealous of Millie and so totally bugged by the boys, who get insanely bugged by her because she can generally out do them in most areas of whatever they are competing over at the moment!

So, we went to Target and she was walking into the store in front of me and I stepped back and realized how cute she is, but also to most people how goofy she must have looked! She took a shower this morning and pridefully got totally dressed by herself. Then, a HUGE accomplishment for Abby, she was still in the same clothes when tom got home and I was ready to leave the house at 3pm! Normally she has gotten them dirty in some way or has peed her pants or God knows what, but she changes her clothes atleast 3 times a day as a necessity. In the process of getting herself dressed today, she decided that she wanted two different socks so she took two pairs and then took one sock from each pair. Along with her bright flower capris, striped pink tank and her hair flopping out of her hair clip, it all colorfully just said "Abby!"

Before I had kids I am sure I would have judged the parent walking around the store in such an outfit. Now that God has entrusted me with Abigail Louise, I have a deeper appreciation for kids who have such a great sense of fashion and the lack of concern for what others might think and will wear their fabulous outfits with great pride and nonchalance. You go Girl!

First time Mom vs us with too many kids

2008-10-03T18:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took the kids to McDonalds for lunch. I had the twins and Millie. As we sat at the table, in the Playground of the Germs, I watched a mom with two little ones come lugging in her luggage for her short visit to the playground. She had her toddler who was probably a bit over two and then a baby who was probably about 8 months old. First she walked in, set down the baby carrier, diaper bag, high chair cover, purse and sippy cup. She immediately told the little one not to touch anything and pulled out her container of Clorox wipes and proceeded to wipe down the table, and the bench, and the underside as far as the munchkin might be able to reach his short little arms. Then she found a high chair and, you guessed it, wiped it with a wipe, THEN put the seat cover on it and THEN put the baby in the high chair. She then opened a bottle of water and poured it into a sippy cup for the baby to drink. Then her friend arrived with her two kids, one about 2 and one about 4'ish. She assured her friend that she had wiped off the table and seats, as the friend promptly starts to put away HER container of wipes, not needing to steralize the environment first. So Mom A goes out to get their food, comes back in, then Mom B goes back out to get food for her family. Then the food prep beings. They both lay out the burger wrappers, take the burger off the bun and break it into pieces appropriately sized for a gnat (even for the oldest boy) the buns were discarded. Then they open the empty cups from the counter and pour in the apple juices, 1/2 full, and then dilute with water from home. I must admit that I was shocked to see they actually got french fries for the kids.
So, the kids all sit and eat, then get up and enter the Germ Ground. They play. Then they return from the tubes of tiny bacteria and return to the table where Mom B promptly puts sanitizer on their hands before they are allowed to touch anything. This repeated several times through out the meal. The baby lost her sippy because she dropped it on the floor, it was then requiring proper sanitizing before she could have it back, so she went thirsty.
I had to chuckle I remember when Harrison was little, I always though "Oh my gosh, what AWFUL parents! Not only do they feed the kid McDonalds, but they let them actually go into the playground!"Then there were the parents who let their kids go into the playground while they stood out and ordered food! Didn't they realize there was a fire door that someone could take the child out and you would never see them again?? Well, then I had twins and the McDonalds playgrounds became a necessity because it was a great energy outlet for Harrison, someplace that I could have the twins in their strollers, hopefully sleeping, and he could run like a madman. Watching these two young Mom's I had to keep from laughing to myself. I had to realize how far I have come.
Example: I can meet my friend at McD's with her kids, we can send them all into the playroom ("watch Millie!") and we stand and order and fill drinks and occassionally look over our shoulder to make sure no one has snuck out the door and is playing in traffic. Millie ate her food yesterday on a napkin, which sat directly on the table top, it did occassionally touch the actual table, which had not been properly sanitized!
Then, as I watched them get ready to leave, I thought to myself about how my kids are probably healthier than theirs are. My kids aren't the type to catch every little thing and miss a lot of school. I am one of those horrible mom's who lets her kids play in the dirt, occassionally I even have to rinse the tub after bathtime to get all the sand out of the bottom. I let them drink from the hose, play at McDonalds, go to parks etc.
I think the funniest part was the hand sanitizer between bites and playing, that is what got me the most.....

Sixty Two Degrees

2008-10-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this is the time of year to freeze, atleast if you are a Lyman. Tom prides himself in how cold he can get the house each night. Each of the bedrooms has a fan in it, for noise etc. We started that when the kids were all babies and it has just worked, so why fix it if it isn't broke? We also have ceiling fans through out the house which are very effective at cooling the rooms on a hot day. Then, there is an oscillating fan in the playroom/computer room, because the heating/cooling system isn't very good at keeping up with that room.

So, this time of year, it gets to be about 80 something during the day and at night it gets considerably cooler, to about 55. My husband loves this time of year and eagerly accepts his personal challenge to beat last years record.

Record? For what you might ask? Well tries very hard to see just how cold he can get the house at night. Yes we have four small kids, that doesn't seem to bother him much. His theory is that everyone in the house sleeps better when they are frozen. I think you could probably prove that theory correct, bodies that are frozen using cryogenics, in fact, do not wake up each morning or possily never.

I don't know how cold the house got last night, but I do not that at 8:30 when we got home from taking Harrison to school the thermostat was reporting 62 degrees. No wonder I used the heater in the van on the way to school!

Please note that I am not a cold person, I am rarely cold actually. I can wear a sweatshirt in the winter and not need a coat, I am fine in a tshirt in the house during the winter. For some reason the past week or so, I have been freezing! Perhaps it is the shift in weather, perhaps I have finally lived in NM long enough that it has permanently affected my internal temperature.

So, to prove my point, I just called Tom at work to see just how cold he has been able to get our house, he proudly said "I don't know, probably only 58 or 59" Did you catch that word... only? As if 58 or 59 is a shameful accomplishment?

2008-09-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

Tired Tuesday

2008-09-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

I had originally started this post in a grumpy mood, rambling about being tired, too much to do around the house etc. But, the day is nearly over, 3/4 of the kids are in bed, so this is my time of night to chill out and just reflect a bit. I usually end up looking at the really bad "mom moments" and beat myself up for them, then go to bed feeling as if I could have done so much better. Well, not saying that I didn't have enough of those moments today, but I am not dwelling on them right now.

I was in the laundry room today when I heard that sound that a mother of a toddler never wants to hear, a kitchen chair crashing off the kitchen table. Why was it on the table, you ask? Well, because if we leave it on the floor, Millie climbs onto the table and dances. So, we put the chairs on the table and the bench under the table and that usually works. Not this morning! Millie pulled the bench out just enough to get on it and then climbed on the table. When I heard the crash, I knew all the dogs were outside and I knew the twins were playing in their bedroom, so I knew it some how had to involve Millie. I didn't hear her crying, which is another thing a mother of a toddler in this situation does NOT want to hear, silence. Keep in mind I am about two steps away from the door to see what happened, yet there is enough time for all of the scenerios to run through my mind: 1) Millie was on the chair when it fell, she isn't crying so she is unconcious 2) She reached up and grabbed the leg and it fell on her head, she is quiet because it landed on her and she cant cry 3) She pushed it off and isn't crying because she is enjoying her new found room to dance on the table. Thank GOD it was option 3! I went rushing in, already about in tears, to see my Millie Magoo, dancing away on the kitchen table in her diaper.

Another opportunity I had today to take the high road and not have a bad Mom Moment: I was SO tired earlier, so I layed on the couch while the kids did whatever they were doing in the living room. Keep in mind this entire story takes place over the span of a commercial break during Days of Our Lives. I am not like Tom, I can't lay down on the couch and actually sleep while the kids are up and about. So, I heard Millie go into the kitchen and I immediately do my mental run down: 1) knives removed from the middle of the floor: check 2) bench in it's new storage place: check 3) fresh bowl of dog water picked up so she cant play in it: shoot! So, I lay there. Maybe she'll miss the huge popcorn bowl size dog water dish that draws her in like gravity.Wrong. Next thing I heard was her notice the bowl Next I hear is the 'swoosh' of the water being dumped all over Millie. She cackled, the twins ran in and the splashing and dancing began. As I layed on the couch, keep in mind this is all happening during ONE commercial break of Days of Our Lives, I knew I had a decision to make. 1. I could jump up and be Maniac Mom looking at the mess before me: three wet kids, spilled water, soaked floor 2. I could pretend I didn't hear anything and wait for the Dog Water Fairy to appear and clean up the mess 3. I could relish in the idea that I now have about five minutes of peace to lay on the couch, watch Days, and know exactly where the kids were and what they were all doing! I picked 3, who wouldn't!? I think they pulled out every kitchen towel to dry up the mess. No big deal, I am constantly doing laundry, what's a few more 20 dish towels. When they had it cleaned up, Nick stripped Millie down to her diaper and sent her to find me. The major upside of this: the dog bowl was sitting in front of the kitchen sink, so the huge amount of water spilled all over the high traffic area of the kitchen, so when it was all said and done, the dirtiest part of our floor, sparkling! Priceless!

Don't worry, I still had my Maniac Mom moments of the day! This afternoon when I asked the kids to clean up the living room and they scooped everything and piled it onto the couch, yeah, didn't go over too well! When I asked the twins to pick up the silly domino truck toy that had about 200 small dominoes scattered about the house, they ignored me. After those two events, the kids were told they would go to bed right after dinner and the domino truck would be posted on freecycle for some other Mom to enjoy!

New Blog Home

2008-09-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

So, I decided to try out a new spot for my blog, so here I am. I like Myspace but I mainly use it just for my blog, so I figured I might try out a spot that is just that, just for my blog. I also wanted to be able to embed photos into my blog and myspace didn't seem to offer that option.

So, this weekend we had one last shindig for Harrison's seventh birthday, so it is officially over now! The party actually turned out very well, considering I sent out the e-vites on Wednesday for a party on Saturday! We had 18 kids show up! The park was packed with soccer and football but we managed to take over the playground and picnic tables and have a good time.

Each birthday that comes and goes, I add to my mental list a few more things that we will change or do differently. This year I added to my list that I will be in charge of buying beverages and bringing them to the party location. I put Tom in charge of it, thinking it is an easy task. Well, we ended up with enough water bottles for adults to have one each and drink boxes for the kids to have one each. Not a HUGE deal, but still, the NM sun gets pretty warm, toss in kids running around in the sun and they get thirsty and hot! So, one small warm beverage per person just doesn't cut it! Sorry guests! I hope you have all rehydrated :)

My mom graced us with her presence. I don't know what I have done to upset her universe but good grief. Tom went over today and dug some holes for a few plants she bought and did a few other things for her, so perhaps beating her at her passive aggressive game will bring her back into proper planetary alignment.

Abigail is going to be a doctor for Halloween and one of our friends brought her some cool accessories for her costume! She has a cute face mask, peds size, a stethoscope, a hair net and some gloves! Thanks Friend :) I'll leave your name out so if the powers that be stumble upon this, you can't get in trouble :)

I hesitantly joined facebook a couple weeks ago and it is growing on me. Some of the silly applications have also started to grow on me. At first I thought the cyber garden idea was just silly and the puppy that you feed? As if I need another mouth to feed! However, both have proven to be a bit addictive, not for me though! My kids LOVE them! Abigail weeded Lisa's garden this morning and sent a few people another plant. Millie cracks up at the puppy, we have to spend so much time on it, finding other puppies to feed and pet just to keep her happy. She giggles and yells at the computer! She calls all of the other puppies "baby" but when the black labs come on, she yells "Elbo!!!" which is what she calls Elbert. It is pretty darn cute!

Enjoy the pictures from Harrison's various birthday celebrations! Next year I am declaring it a party free year!

Ok, I just discovered why I am going to like blogger better than myspace! I clicked a tab to check something out and when I returned, my blog had cleared! This has happened on myspace before and there was no way to retrieve the lost information! With the autosave function on blogger, all I had to do was retrieve! Yeah! One less gray hair for me today